Sunderland 1-0 Reading: Patrick Roberts seals late win for Black Cats

Patrick Roberts struck late on as Sunderland moved to within a point of the Sky Bet Championship play-off places with a 1-0 win over struggling Reading.

The Black Cats looked set to be dealt a blow in their pursuit of a top-six spot, as stubborn Reading frustrated the hosts for long periods at the Stadium of Light.

But ex-Manchester City man Roberts finally broke the resistance of the Royals as he hammered home after 84 minutes to extend Reading's poor Championship run to six games without a win.

Reading were first to threaten when a Tom Ince shot flashed wide with less than 20 seconds on the clock.

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That was the only effort of note in a sloppy and sluggish opening, with Sunderland's first attempt on goal not coming until the 25-minute mark, when Dan Ballard headed over from a Roberts free-kick.

Reading, despite their recent struggles, were slightly the better side in the opening period, and failed to make the most of a couple of counter-attack opportunities. Junior Hoilett had a sight of goal after half an hour but his effort was deflected wide off Aji Alese. Alese then had half a chance of his own, heading over from another Roberts free-kick.

Joe Gelhardt, making his home debut after his January loan move from Leeds, struggled to get into the game in the first half, but had his first glimpse of goal early in the second period.

Played in by Edouard Michut, Gelhardt was running away from goal but tried to catch Reading keeper Joe Lumley off guard with a first-time finish that rolled just wide of the far post.

Soon after, Roberts picked out the advanced Alese with a sublime pass but after smartly bringing it under control, the left-back lifted the ball over the bar.

Roberts was increasingly influential and the former Manchester City playmaker teed up another chance when he found Trai Hume in the box, who forced a good save out of Lumley at his front post.

Lumley then denied Roberts from the edge of the area before Alese's rebound was blocked. It was one way traffic and Michut was the next to try his luck. Lumley's attempted punched clearance landed at the feet of the midfielder, who blazed over.

Mowbray turned to his bench and introduced Isaac Lihadji, a debut for the forward after his January move from Lille. But Roberts remained the home side's main threat and yet again went close after 80 minutes with a fierce strike from the edge of the area that flashed just over the bar.

Roberts finally got the goal that he and Sunderland deserved late on, pouncing on some defensive uncertainty in the Reading box, before firing past the helpless Lumley.

The managers

Sunderland's Tony Mowbray:

"If I'm honest, I felt brains were a bit dull today. We knew what to expect from Reading and knew it would be tough to get through them, and yet I felt the team was a bit dull. We found a way, let's put the points in the bag, we won't over-analyse the performance but we have to be a bit braver. In the first half we struggled, we were too slow and didn't get through the lines. But I sit here with three points in the bag. We'll just keep going.

"I can't say we were really good at this or that, but we kept a clean sheet against a team that can give you problems. The young players are on a journey and are learning and together they found a way. When we get to single figure games, then it's squeaky bum time as they say, you have to be in the fight at that stage."

Reading's Paul Ince:

"Joe (Lumley) has made a couple of good saves and there was one over the bar but apart from that it never looked like they were going to do anything else, then you have the killer punch and you end up losing the game you shouldn't lose. In the first half we nullified them. You come here and there's great support, we knew it would be tough. The first half we needed to quieten the fans, and we did that, and we had opportunities where if we'd been a bit more precise on the transition we'd have opened them up.

"There was a bit of unrest in the crowd at half-time and half our job was done. Of course they'll have chances but you think you've weathered the worst of it, then make a mistake and lose the game. It's an individual mistake but we make mistakes as one. We're one. Baba is devastated in there but we're a team. You can do this and that on the training ground but you can't coach against individual mistakes. He's devastated, it hurts him, he feels like he's let us down but he hasn't."

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